Fiberglass Layup

"Kevlar is expensive too. It doesn't break but when you sledge hammer smack a rock"

I thought that too, then I took 2 boats on a trip with a friend rowing one of them. Class III easy stuff. Some how he managed to bash every rock on the river? He cracked the bottom in 3 places. 3/4 inch Plascore with heavy 16 ounce biaxial Kevlar and 2 layers of 10 Oz plain weaver. I still can't figure it out.

If it would have been 3/8 plywood with light glass, he might have sunk the thing. I have floated that section 30 times and never put a dent in the boat.

I live in Easton PA and once Labor Day is gone I have the river to myself in this section. The west branch of the Delaware is becoming difficult to find launching access. It seems that the Rednecks you mention have worn out their welcome with land owners along the river.

Easton, that brought back something I have not thought of in over 50 years. One time my father took me up to Easton where we launched and motored up the river a few miles. Camped for 2 days, fishing etc, then ran back down river to the truck. We had an 18 foot Old Town canvas canoe with a 2 X 6 mounted on the back for an outrigger mount for a 3 HP Johnson outboard. At one point the water was fast enough we came to a crawl.

A high school friend's family had a river front second home a few miles up river from French Town on the Jersey side. We had lots of fun there skiing, the water was always like glass since their place was up river from a dam.

Most of the time our Deleware outings were down at Upper Black Eddy.

The river out here stay busy till Late Oct.

Thought of something this moroning. What Larry said is correct--smooth it up a bit and add another layer of fabric over top.

But don't add that extra glass now. Wait until it's on the boat, and already bent to shape. If you glass it again now you can still work with it. But it will be harder to bend--because of that extra glass.

Larry,
I learned to water ski a couple of pools up from Frenchtown, Lumberville, PA. Canoeing the upper Delaware is tranquil. Until recently I used a 17' Oldtown discovery (tripper). I tied a Kayak but once in a Buffalo I was sold. If I build another I'll get rid of most of the Rocker. Yesterday I saw an aluminum 17' Drift boat come through Easton. They must be after Walleye or Muskee. Then a tiller driven jet zipped through.

I agree not to Glass further until the boat is all formed. I had thought that it was already but if not wait until it is.

I only patched the cut out bubbles with a "cut to fit" patch. Haven't done the second full layer. Already have the bottom attached, no issues bending to shape. Will drop in the second layer for the interior when the boat gets flipped over. Currently been busy and no progress in a few weeks. Hope to remedy in first half of March. Hunting season over, fishing not good yet, rains every day and cold. I think March may be a month designed for building....

Working on a boat for the first time. I am working with mohogany on the bottom due to current plywood prices. Curious what everyone’s process is when putting multiple layers of fiberglass on the bottom panel. I was planning on doing a coat of epoxy on the plywood and letting that soak in. Then putting my first layer of glass down when the epoxy gets tacky. After this all dries should I put another coat of epoxy on top of my first layer of fiberglass before I put my next layer of fiberglass on? Or should I just put the fiberglass on dry and work epoxy on from the top? Just curious what your thoughts are. Appreciate any input.

RE> "After this all dries should I put another coat of epoxy on top of my first layer of fiberglass before I put my next layer of fiberglass on? Or should I just put the fiberglass on dry and work epoxy on from the top? Just curious what your thoughts are. Appreciate any input."

There is an element of style and preference here. Many people do just what you say in the second part (put glass down dry and work the resin into it). I prefer to always wet out first and then stretch glass on top of the wet resin. It helps to have 4 hands to work that way but it isn't required.

I also prefer to do any layup start to finish all in one go. But it isn't required. You can quit early. Perhaps because you are running out of time. If so it's important to wash the hardened layer with acetone and a rag. Sand lightly and then go again. Do you wet out first or lay the glass down dry? That is a preference you can only come to by trying both.

I always wet out first. Then put down glass. Then finish wetting out, usually by pouring resin into a puddle in the middle and stroking it out to the edges with a 10" drywall trowel.

Some fabrics are easy to wet out. Some bi-axial (not all but some) are harder to wet out. When that's happening you'll want to wet out first. Pushing resin into a dry layer that does not easily wet is not much fun.